Vintage Towing -- Testing the Waters
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. Based on my reading, it sounds like you can give me a hand. You'll probably get a chuckle out of this request, but then I'd like to at least get a few serious resp...
Forum Discussion
Road Ruler wrote:chuyler1 wrote:
110hp@6000rpm and 117ftlb@3500rpm ain't much to work with.
Our Nissan Mini van had 150HP/180TQ and power wise it was maxed out with our "aerodynamic", 23' vintage Airstream (dry weight 3,550lbs).
Your problems.... not enough power for a 2,500lb trailer. Using an odd ball vintage engine and running it in stress mode is asking for mechanical issues.
PS... Back in the day my sis had an RX7 with the rotory engine. Worked great except for the cost of replacing the blade seals.
I hear ya, except the stress mode bit. The motor is more stressed at low rpms than high rpms...and there literally are no mechanical issues that can occur aside from the apex seals wearing out. No piston rings, no rods, no lifters, nada. This is the reason the Wankel is popular for lightweight airplane applications. When power beings to fade, it'll keep running and allow you to land safely. And speaking of airplanes, they generally cruise at the same RPMs that I'd be running on the highway. But your point is valid. If you felt maxed out with 180TQ pulling 3,550lbs maybe I need to back down my goals and shoot for something lighter to tow.
